George Graham's Stories of Cajun Creole Cooking

Noontime in Acadiana means heading for your favorite lunchroom for a meat-and-three plate of down-home cooking. Throughout South Louisiana, the cafes and diners are lined with all sorts of folks bellying up to the counters and tables in search of a hearty lunch. It’s not unusual to see a truck driver sitting next to a…

French tarragon is an alluring aromatic herb, and when used with subtleness, it can turn most any humble dish – chicken especially -- into a showcase of sublime flavor. But, I didn’t always cook with tarragon until one night I was properly introduced to a now-favorite ingredient.
I recall dining … [Read More...]

Ice cream floats have always been a weakness. I remember a simpler time and place sitting at the soda fountain at my neighborhood Rexall drug store sipping a root beer float and flipping the pages of the latest Archie comic. Ok, so that was a few long years ago, but the memories linger on.
These … [Read More...]

Jambalaya – that defining dish that speaks the language of Louisiana. But as is the case with many Louisiana dishes, there are two distinctly different styles of jambalaya in Louisiana – Creole and Cajun. Perhaps, it is this dish that most defines the two culinary cultures. The point is that Creole … [Read More...]

The Fourth of July holiday is my favorite family holiday: no last-minute dash for flowers, no arduous trek to the mall for gifts, not even a holiday card. It’s just a leisurely American celebration of family and freedom.
And it’s the perfect day to fire up the grill. I’ve always had a hunger for … [Read More...]

Once relegated to a catch-and-release fish unworthy of the dinner table, black drum has ascended the culinary ladder to become a center-of-the-plate star in its own right. One theory is that it is following the coattails of its cousin the red drum (or redfish, as you know it), which with the help of … [Read More...]

For my money, you can put a perfectly fried egg atop just about anything and I'd eat it. But, crown a spicy patty made of Cajun boudin and we're talking the goose (uh, chicken) that laid the golden egg. (By the way, if you are unfamiliar with Cajun boudin sausage, then read my boudin post here.) … [Read More...]

Stuffing a thick double-cut pork chop with sausage or any number of different spice-infused stuffing mixtures is a South Louisiana dish that has grown in popularity. Back in the 1970s and 80s the Veron family opened a market in Lafayette that catered to local tastes with an emphasis on specialty … [Read More...]

Lately, I’ve gotten lots of good questions from folks outside of Louisiana who want to know more about the restaurant scene in South Louisiana. Well, I could write volumes on the subject and still not cover it all. The Faces and Places pages of Acadiana Table are a good start, but I have a … [Read More...]

Growing up in South Louisiana, po-boys were just about as common as hamburgers are today. In small towns back then, we didn’t have a burger chain on every corner. It was mostly mom-and-pop sandwich shops and greasy spoon cafés that put out their home-cooked specialties, especially po-boys.
I grew … [Read More...]

When I saw the bin of ripe green bell peppers at my local farmer's market, I immediately thought of stuffing them. In Cajun country, stuffing sweet peppers with ground anything is a basic recipe that every home cook knows by heart. Usually it’s a mixture of beef and pork sausage with just the … [Read More...]

Ever since renowned Cajun Chef Paul Prudhomme blackened his first redfish in the 1980s, you would think that all South Louisiana folks burn just about everything they cook. Not so. But just go to any wanna-be Cajun restaurant outside of Louisiana and you’ll see a menu full of these overdone dishes. … [Read More...]

Food can be boring. Ok, I've said it and you know exactly what I'm talking about. Slapping a spoonful of mashed potatoes on a plate along with a plain baked chicken breast doesn’t exactly set the world on fire with excitement. Why can’t we serve up a bit more creativity at mealtime?
Now, don’t … [Read More...]

I have a dilemma. For the life of me, I can’t figure out why the mint julep became the official drink of the Kentucky Derby held in the spring of each year. Most of the country is just digging out of the snow and even in my backyard, there is no mint to be found. Come July, I’ll have mint taking … [Read More...]

I know many of you will agree that nothing goes better with a thick, juicy steak than a baked potato. I’ve been to the fanciest steakhouses in all the land and when it comes to the perfect side dish, I’ll order a baked potato – loaded, for sure – every time. Oh, I’ve tried the creamed spinach, the … [Read More...]

Roasting a whole chicken is as basic to French Acadian cooking as it is to French Provencal cooking. Although the spice blends vary and most Louisianans would be stumped at the thought of trussing a bird, the two cultures still elevate the lowly poulet to a stellar dish.
It seems these days that … [Read More...]